pope

Early on the evening of March 13, 2013, the newly elected Pope Francis stepped out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and did something remarkable: Before he imparted his blessing to the crowd, he asked the crowd to bless him, then bowed low to receive this grace. In the days that followed, Mark K. Shriver - along with the rest of the world - was astonished to see a pope who paid his own hotel bill, eschewed limousines, and made his home in a suite of austere rooms in a Vatican guesthouse rather than the grand papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace. By setting an example of humility and accessibility, Francis breathed new life into the Catholic Church, attracting the admiration of Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

In Pilgrimage, Shriver retraces Francis’s personal journey, revealing the origins of his open, unpretentious style and explaining how it revitalized Shriver’s own faith and renewed his commitment to the Church.

Pope Francis has brought something controversial to the papacy—the prospect of change. In his new book, The Future of the Catholic Church with Pope Francis, Gary Wills, New York Times best selling author of Why Priests?: A Failed Tradition and What Jesus Meant, takes on one of the most pressing questions in modern religion today: what does the future hold for the Catholic Church?

Gary Wills is a historian, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and professor emeritus at Northwestern University. He joins The Roundtable today to discuss the novel behavior of the current pope and his own opinions on the future of the papacy.

Catholics across the Northeast are eagerly anticipating the pontiff’s visit later this month. That includes Reverend Christopher Coyne, who was appointed Bishop of the Catholic Diocese Burlington, which serves the entire state of Vermont, last December. He is well versed in electronic communications with a constant presence on Facebook and Twitter, and hosts a regular podcast. Coyne served as Secretary of Communications and Principal Spokesman for the Archdiocese of Boston from 2002 until 2005. He is the incoming chair of the Communications Committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. As a result, he is the media coordinator for Pope Francis’ visit to the U.S., as he tells WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley.

Rev. Gary Dailey is director of the Office of Vocations for the Springfield Diocese. He travels frequently to the Vatican. He spoke with WAMC"s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill about Pope Francis

Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, whose papal name is Pope Francis, becomes the 266th pope in the history of the Catholic Church. He is the first pontiff from the Americas, and succeeds Pope Benedict XVI, who announced his resignation last month, amid health concerns.

The New York State Catholic Conference represents New York’s bishops in matters of public policy. And Dennis Poust is its spokesman.

It is an important day for the Roman Catholic Church. Cardinals are meeting in Rome to elect a new pope. WAMC”s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill spoke this afternoon with Rev. William Pomerleau. He is pastor at Our Lady of The Sacred Heart in Springfield Massachusetts, an expert on church procedure and a correspondent for Catholic Communications.

Today's panelists are Alan Chartock, David Guistina from WAMC News, and Mike Spain, Associate Editor of The Times Union. Joe Donahue moderates.

Our topics are: New York state Supreme Court Judge Milton Tingling blocks limits on sugary drinks; NY GOP State Senators now open to Minimum Wage hike; the conclave to elect a new pope is underway; the TSA says yes to small knives on planes.

News this week that Pope Benedict will resign effective at the end of this month took the world by surprise, with observers quick to note that it had been 600 years since the last papal resignation. Almost as quickly, reporters began compiling lists of possible replacements. WAMC’s Ian Pickus spoke with papal expert and historian Dr. Francis Oakley, President Emeritus of Williams College, about what led to this extraordinary moment in Vatican City and what might come next.

Just days after the Pope announced his resignation; we will talk about the priesthood with Garry Wills. Bestselling author of Papal Sin and Why I Am a Catholic?, Wills spent five years as a young man at a Jesuit seminary and nearly became a priest himself.

But after a lifetime of study and reflection, he now poses some challenging questions: Why do we need priests at all? Why did the priesthood arise in a religion that began without it and opposed it? Would Christianity be stronger without the priesthood, as it was at its outset?